Wings For The Sake Of Falling REWRITTEN
by XxxLEVITYxxX
Summary: It's been a tough case for everyone, espicially Morgan. When Reid attempts to comfort him but says the wrong thing, they get into an arguement. And things go downhill from there... Please R&R. Written as friendship but can be viewed as slash
1. Fate

**A/N**

**Heyo! I decided to rewrite this story since Morgan and Reid were so out of character. I hope they're better now, but they might still be a little out of character. Characterization is my weakest point, sorry. Hopefully it meets up to your expectations, enjoy!**

**I own nothing. All mistakes are my own. Warning for language and child rape. **

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><p>It was a bad one. Three days into the case and they had absolutely <em>nothing. <em>Zip. Nada. _No_-thing. The team had been called on to assist on a case in a small town in rural North Dakota. The population was under 5,000 so in retrospect, the case should have been simple. Kids between the ages of eight and twelve were being raped and killed, then dumped in alleys like trash.

It was an understatement to say that everyone was a little stressed out. But nobody was as bad as Morgan. Morgan had already cussed out two police officers, made JJ cry, broke a window, punched countless walls, and even back talked to Hotch. They all knew (with the exception of Rossi but Reid was pretty sure he somehow made the guess) that Morgan was molested as a child. So it was only natural he was a little more angry than the rest of them. But when Hotch suggested that Reid take Morgan to check out the latest abduction site, Reid had seriously begun to wonder if Hotch wanted to see him alive again.

So now they were standing on a small stretch of side-walk leading from the latest victim's school to his house. Ten-year-old Daniel Marshal was last seen walking the route he takes from school to his house every day after school. Reid has to admit, he was a little annoyed at the victim's parents for letting the young boy walk home alone when they _knew _there was a killer targeting kids his age.

The side-walk followed down a small road leading into the farming area of the small town. The road was surrounded by farm land and a couple small houses along the way but other than the few elderly people who sit out on their porches in the mornings, there was no one to see the young boy walk home. So Daniel was young, completely alone, and probably very scared when he was abducted. Great.

Morgan and Reid were now walking along the side-walk in silence, keeping an eyes out for anything the UNSUB could have left behind. Reid glanced over at Morgan in the corner of his eye. Morgan was walking stiffly a little ways in front of Reid, his fists clenched at his sides. Reid knew he should try to talk to him, comfort him. But Reid knew he wasn't very good with the whole "comforting friend" angle and he would probably end up saying something wrong. It was worth a shot, though. Because that's what friends are for, right?

"Morgan?" Reid asked hesitantly, thinking about how to word his "comforting friend" speech.

"What?" Morgan's voice was cold and emotionless. Reid unconsciously winced and almost lost his nerve but quickly plowed on before he totally wimped out.

"I… Are you okay?" he asked the darker man with his awkward stutter. _Damn, he was no good at this…_

Morgan stopped walking and Reid stopped with him. Reid fiddled nervously with the button on the cuff of his navy blue sleeve as he eyed Morgan. Morgan's posture was still stiff and his face was unreadable of any emotions.

"Am I _okay_?" Morgan repeated Reid's question.

Reid swallowed hard at the steeliness of Morgan's voice, "Y-Yes. You've been worrying everyone. If you need help, you can just ta-"

"I don't _need_ help, Reid. I can watch over myself," Morgan interrupted.

Reid eyed him disapprovingly before adding with a slight huff, "Right."

Morgan stared at Reid for a moment before he began walking again. Reid watched him walk for a couple of seconds before he jogged to catch back up with the older man.

"You know…" Reid began in attempt to lighten the subject, "There are 400,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and it is estimated that up to 100,000 of them are missing. They're supposed to be registered, but nobody knows where they are."

Reid looked over at Morgan. Morgan was still staring ahead, not even indicating he had heard Reid. Reid wasn't sure how to take that but he eventually took it to be a good sign and kept talking.

"89% of child sexual assault cases involve persons known to the child. 29% are relatives, 60% are acquaintances, and only 11% are strangers. So it really wasn't your fault Carl Buford did what he did, it could have happened to anyone. Actually-" Reid immediately cut himself off when he realized just how wrong he worded that.

_Damn it! _He cursed himself for his words, _Why do you have to say the wrong things all the time?_

"Uh…" Reid said awkwardly and looked over at Morgan. Morgan had completely stopped walking and Reid hesitantly stopped with him. Morgan's hands were clenched so tight, his usual dark knuckles were practically white.

"You had no right to say that," Morgan hissed through clenched teeth.

"I-I know and I'm sorry. I was just babbling and…" Reid stuttered out a response.

"Just. Stop. Talking…. Please," Morgan said, his eyes still staring straight ahead.

"Yeah… Yeah, okay," Reid mumbled.

They stood there in an awkward silence while Morgan attempted to regain his composure. They stood there for what seemed like hours before Morgan started walking again. Reid stared after him for a moment before following.

_Maybe you should apologize, _a little voice inside his head suggested.

Apologize? Yeah…

"Uh, Morgan?" Reid asked.

"_What _is it, Reid?" Morgan asked in an exasperated voice.

Reid bit the inside of his cheek for a second and then spoke.

"I… I'm sorry for what I said. It was out of line and I shouldn't have done it," Reid said in a rush. _Yeah, there you go. That was good. _

Morgan pursed his lips and kept walking, "S'okay."

Reid eyed him for a moment. _That was it? An "its okay"? _

_Maybe you should try talking to him, _the voice in his head suggested and Reid vaguely wondered if he should be worried about that persistent little voice.

Talking. Well, he wasn't too good at talking… But it couldn't hurt, could it?

"So…" Reid started, "What do you think about this UNSUB?" _Good job!_

Morgan paused for a second before answering, "I think he's lost someone close to him or all these kids are surrogates for someone. All these kids look alike; they all have blonde hair and blue eyes. That can't just be a coincidence."

"Maybe it's just his type," Reid said.

Morgan looked over at him sharply, "Do you doubt my profiling skills?"

"What? No!" Reid said in surprise that Morgan had said that to him.

_He's probably still mad_, the voice said, _you should apologize again. _

"Morgan, if you're still mad-" Reid began.

"I'm not mad!" Morgan practically yelled and Reid stopped walking in surprise at Morgan's tone.

"Morgan, something is obviously bothering you and I can help you," Reid said stubbornly.

Morgan glared at him, "I. Don't. Need. Your. Help. You don't know _anything _about me so just shut your little mouth and try to find who's killing these kids!"

With that, Morgan turned on his heel and began walking briskly back down the side-walk to where they parked the black SUV. Reid stood there, stunned, for a good while.

_Maybe you should just stop talking…. _The voice suggested.

_Thanks, I really needed your advice_, Reid though back angrily. This is the last time he's going to listen to the "voice of reason".

Reid sighed and began walking up the side-walk back up to the SUV.

The ride back to the police department was, to say the least, awkward. Reid would glance over at Morgan every now and then and Reid could have sworn Morgan's grip on the steering wheel tighten every time he did. Reid tried to talk to Morgan a few times but every time he did, Morgan blew him off.

Morgan and Reid walked into the police department together, Morgan still giving Reid the cold shoulder and Reid still trying to thaw out the ice

"Did you guys find anything?" Hotch asked them when he saw them walk in.

Reid opened his mouth to talk but Morgan cut him off.

"No. This guy good. Really good and it's pissin' me off, Hotch," Morgan said in a strained voice.

Hotch nodded grimly, "Me too. I think we should go over the profile."

Reid and Morgan both nodded and followed Hotch to the small room the police officers had set up for the profilers. When Reid walked in, he saw Rossi, JJ, and Prentiss were already seated around the small round table.

"So what do we have?" Hotch asked no one in particular and he sat down in one of the vacant seats.

Morgan sat down in the chair next to JJ and sighed, "I didn't find anything at the latest abduction site. The UNSUB didn't leave any footprints, trash, car tracks, nothing."

Reid leaned up against the door frame and frowned at Morgan's wording. He said "I didn't find anything" as oppose to "Reid and I" or "We". Reid profiling skills automatically kicked in. Morgan was distancing himself from Reid by ignoring him. But why? Was he seriously still mad about what Reid said? Reid apologized! Shouldn't that be enough?

"When was the last time any of you have slept?" Hotch suddenly asked.

Reid saw the rest of his team glance at each other and shrug. Hotch sighed out of his nose, "I want you all to go back to the hotel and get some rest."

"Hotch-" Morgan already started to protest but Hotch cut him off.

"You'll all do better if you're fully rested. Now, go back to the hotel and get some rest," Hotch said in his if-you-give-me-shit-about-this-I'll-punch-your-face voice.

Everyone was still for a moment, pondering if they should argue with Hotch but then ultimately deciding not to. One by one, everyone filed out of the room but Reid remained at his spot near the door. He wanted to talk to Hotch about Morgan's behavior before he left.

Hotch got up from his seat and Reid walked up to him.

"Hotch…" Reid started but stopped when Hotch put his hand up.

"Can this wait until morning? I would really enjoy getting some sleep right now," Hotch said.

Reid though about that for a moment before finally answering, "Yeah… Yeah, it can wait."

Hotch gave him a small, grateful smile before brushing past him to get out of the room. Now Reid was the only one left when he remembered he was the only one without an SUV to drive back to the hotel with.

He quickly jogged out of the police department and hoped that one of his team members hadn't left yet; he really didn't want to walk all the way to the hotel. Not that it was that far away, it's just he wasn't really up to the walk. It was around seven in the evening and the reddening sunlight was the only thing lighting the parking lot.

Reid's eyes scanned the parking lot and saw only one black SUV left in the parking lot and his body flooded with relief. But that relief had quickly vanished when he saw the one person leaning up against the driver side door. Morgan.

Reid sighed and walked quickly over to where he was leaning up against the side of the car. Morgan raised his eyebrows in minor shock when he saw Reid making his way up to him.

"Hey," Reid said, "I don't have a ride and I was wondering if you could….?" He trailed off and gestured awkwardly at the black SUV.

Morgan's eyes darkened and he glanced at the SUV and then looked back to Reid.

"No," Morgan said simply.

"No…?" Reid echoed in confusion.

"No, I can't give you a ride," Morgan repeated and said each word clearly as if was talking to a small child.

"Why?" Reid asked lamely. He knew it wasn't the smartest thing to say, but he was completely too shocked for long sentences. Had he really made Morgan _that_ mad?

Morgan scoffed in a very un-Morgan like fashion, "I don't exactly enjoy riding in cars with people who I thought were my friend but actually turned out to be somebody who goes and rips up my worst childhood memories. How would you like it if I just so casually mentioned your mom? Or your bullying in school? Or about how your dad left you? Huh?"

Reid blinked his eyes a few times and opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Morgan sighed angrily and opened to door to the SUV and slid into the driver seat.

"Maybe you should learn to keep your mouth shut," Morgan advised and shut the door to the car. Reid watched as Morgan drove out of the parking lot and then accelerated faster than needed down the road. Looks like he was going to get his exercise today…

Reid sighed again and debated whether or not he should ask one of the officers inside to give him a ride but then decided against it. What would they think when the skinny agent kid came in there asking for a ride like a car-less teenager?

Reid looked up at the sky in confusion when he felt something wet hit his face. He brought his hand up to his nose and brought it away to reveal a small rain drop. Reid groaned inwardly as more and more rain drops began to fall from the sky.

Soon, he was soaked to the bone with the chilling water. He ran a hand through his wet hair and pulled his thin black cardigan closer to his thin frame. He grumbled to himself about Mother Nature and its impeccable timing as he jogged out of the parking lot and down the side-walk towards the hotel.

_Maybe it's just fate kicking you in the face, _the voice suggested.

Damn you, fate. Damn you.

Reid felt his foot connect with a something hard and the next thing he knew, he was sprawled out on the freezing cold (and also wet) side-walk. He groaned and propped himself up on his elbows to see what had tripped him. A piece of the side-walk was cracked and was sticking up in an odd (and dangerous) fashion.

_Yeah, it's definitely fate, _the voice said.

Reid pushed himself all the way up into a standing position and was secretly grateful he didn't rip any of his clothing when he fell. _That _would have been embarrassing. Reid started jogging again through the rain, but much more cautiously this time. He noticed his running was slightly off and it was brought to attention that he was limping slightly on his right leg.

_Great, _he grumbled to himself, _I probably pulled something when I fell._

Reid saw the small, neon light in front of his hotel and he sighed in relief. At least he made it without getting in life threatening trouble. He slowed to a brisk walk when he reached the covered area in front of the front door of the small hotel.

Reid looked down at his soaked clothes and frowned slightly. His dark blue dress pants were soaked and sagging slightly off of his thin hips, his blue dress shirt was soaked in a similar fashion as his pants except his shirt was clinging tightly to his body and it outlined the slight muscles he had on his chest. His black converse shoes were soaked just like the rest of him and they made a _squish _sound whenever he stepped.

He ran his hand through his hair again in attempt to shake out some of the water before going inside the main lobby of the small hotel. It was more of a motel, really, with two stories and made with white bricks. The lobby was a cozy size with comfy looking furniture placed here and there inside. The lady behind the reception desk frowned at his wet clothes but didn't mention them.

"Um, I'm with the BAU team," Reid said to her, "There should already be a room for me."

"Last name?" the elderly woman asked him.

"Reid," Reid said, "R-E-I-D."

"Hmm…" the woman murmured as she scrolled through the chart on her computer screen.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Reid," the woman said and handed Reid a small, black key-card, "Second floor, room 24."

"Thank you," Reid said quietly before walking towards the elevator, careful not to slip on the tile floor. He pushed the small button on the wall and waited impatiently for the elevator to come. He shivered and silently cursed Morgan for making him walk in the rain.

Surely Morgan will feel guilty about this tomorrow, right? Reid is his best friend for Pete's sake! Or was…. The elevator dinged and the doors slide open. Reid stepped inside and was grateful he was the only one inside the small elevator. It strangely reminded him of the time Morgan and him had gotten stuck inside an elevator a few years back. The memory brought a small smile to Reid's lips as he felt the elevator move upward.

Things would eventually go back to normal, right? Morgan can't hate him forever. It was a simple slip of the tongue! If anyone should be apologizing, it should be Morgan. He was the one who overreacted, not Reid… Right?

The elevator dinged again and Reid stepped out. He glanced at the different number plates on the doors as he walked past them.

20… 21… 22… 23… 24.

He stopped at his room and slid the keycard in the little slot and the door clicked open. He saw his Go-Bag already placed neatly on his bed and he smiled. JJ was probably the one who was responsible for the simple gesture. Reid made his way over to the bed and opened the bag up. He pulled out a pair of grey sweats, a clear pair of boxers, and a black t-shirt. He pulled his cell phone out from his pocket and saw it was clearly dripping wet.

"Damn…" he murmured and set the now dead phone down on his nightstand. He pulled his gun off of his belt and carefully laid it down next to his phone.

He quickly peeled off the layers of wet clothing from his body and shivered when the cold air assaulted his bear skin. He pulled on the dry clothes and gave a content sigh once their warmth flooded through his body. He ran his hand again through his damp hair, causing it to stick up in crazy spikes. He was about to crawl into bed when a soft knock came at his door. Reid groaned and sat up from the bed.

"Comin'" he called sleepily and stifled a yawn. He reached down to unlock the door but noticed he had forgotten to lock in the first place. _Huh, _he thought to himself, _no wonder the UNSUBS come after me, I'm have absolutely no concern for my own safety!_

He opened the door and his eyebrows went up in shock when he saw who it was.

"Hi," Morgan said and rubbed the back of his neck, "Can I come in?"

Reid felt an unexpected anger boil up inside of him, "I don't know. Are you going to talk or send me walking in the rain?"

He expected Morgan to be guilty for what he did to him, but instead Morgan's eyes flashed with anger.

"Actually," Morgan said hotly, "I was going to say you left your wallet in the SUV earlier but…"

"Oh," Reid said somewhat stupidly.

Morgan nodded bitterly and then pulled Reid's black wallet out of his pocket, "Here" Morgan practically shoved in into Reid's chest. Morgan turned to leave but Reid reached out to grab his arm to stop him.

"Wait," Reid said, "I…"

"You what?" Morgan asked him, "You gonna apologize again?"

There goes that anger again.

"No," Reid said, "If anyone should be apologizing, it should be you."

"Me?" Morgan asked in disbelief, "What the hell did I do?"

"What did you do?" Reid echoed and licked his lips, "You made me walk in the rain all the way to the hotel!"

"You should have just asked one of the officers to drive you," was Morgan's reply with a nonchalant shrug.

"Should have asked…" Reid repeated in disbelief, "Why couldn't you have just driven me? It wouldn't have killed you."

Morgan shook his head, "I _told _you, I didn't want to ride in a car with someone who talks about things that shouldn't even be mentioned."

"It was a slip of the tongue!" Reid insisted.

"Then maybe you shouldn't use that mouth of yours so much!" Morgan whisper-yelled, "All you do is talk-talk-talk-talk about things nobody even cares about! Why can't you just learn to shut up every now and then? Jesus, Reid…"

"Why can't you just learn to let go of it?" Reid challenged, "It was a mistake and I apologized, what more do you want me to do?"

"I… I want…" Morgan couldn't seem to get his words across.

"What? You want what?" Reid prompted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I just… I just want you to leave me alone," Morgan finally managed, "You are _useless _to me. You're only some stupid kid whose dreams are too big for your own good. You were a loser in school who deserved to get beat up because of it, a failure of a man in every way except books, a drug addict and a social outcast who will forever be alone. "

Before he knew what was going on, Reid snapped his hand forward and slapped Morgan across the face. Morgan brought his hand up slowly to touch the now reddening spot on his cheek where Reid's palm connected with his face. Both men stare at each other in shock. Had he really just done that?

"Morgan…" Reid said in disbelief, "I have no idea what came over me! I'm so so sorry!"

Morgan still stared at him with the same shocked face, hand on cheek.

"Morgan?" Reid asked hesitantly.

Like a flash of lightening, Morgan's fist flashed out and connected with the side of Reid's face. Reid stumbled sideways and hit the wall next to him. Reid brought his hand up to his cheek and stared at Morgan in disbelief. Morgan stared at Reid, his mouth in a big "O".

"Oh my god…" Morgan said, "Reid… I…"

"Don't," Reid hissed. The punch didn't necessarily hurt; he was a child prodigy in a Las Vegas public high school, he could handle a few punches. But what really hurt him was the fact that Morgan was the one who had done it to him. Morgan was his best friend…

Without speaking a word, Reid pushed his way past Morgan and practically ran down the hallway and into the door leading to the stairwell. He took the stairs down, two at a time, with angry tears burning in his eyes. Every time! Every damn time he let someone in, they tore him down!

He burst out of the stairwell and into the main lobby again. The elderly woman looked up from her seat at the reception desk and Reid could barely make out the small smirk on her face once she saw the newly forming bruise on his cheek.

"Go fuck yourself," Reid snapped at her and felt slightly shock at his use of language. The lady's smirk immediately disappeared and Reid felt a bitter smile come across his features as he pushed open the door of the small hotel and started walking. He didn't know where he was going; he just knew he had to get far away from this place. The rain had stopped and the sky was now a dark blue night-time color.

Reid's bear feet padded on the cold concrete and Reid wished he had pulled on a pair of shoes before storming out of the room like that. His wet hair hung down in his face and he ran his hand through it, causing it to stick back up in those ridiculous spikes.

How could Morgan do that? Wasn't he his friend? Did he even care about him anymore? Reid thought back over the past events of the day and frowned, things just didn't add up. Sure, Morgan would be annoyed at Reid's placing of words from earlier but be this mad? No way. There was definitely something else going on here and Reid was determined to find out.

Reid was pulled from his thoughts when a rather loud commotion followed by a string of curse words came from Reid's left. Reid slowly came to a stop and looked into the dark alley next to him. The only thing lighting the side-walk was the crappy street light hanging over Reid's head as he squinted into the dark.

The facts of the case came flooding through his mind. _Young boys… abducted… raped and then killed… dumped in alleys…_

Reid glanced around the street. All he saw was a closed coffee shop across the street and a black van parked in front of it. Wait… if the coffee place was closed, why was someone parked there? Instinctively, Reid's hand went down to his hip where he kept his gun, only to slip down his hip. Reid glanced down and remembered he took off his gun back in the hotel room.

So now here he was; gun less, phone less, shoe less (not that that really mattered now), and with their possible UNSUB dumping a body in the alley right next to him.

_Fate, my friend, fate, _the voice said.

"Shut up," Reid mumbled absentmindedly. What was he going to do? He couldn't just waltz right in there and be like "Hey, I'm an FBI agent but it seems I have forgotten my gun back in my hotel room. Now if you'll just come with me…" Um, no.

But he couldn't just leave either. They had no leads, no evidence, and this could just be the break they needed! If Reid let him get away now, they may never catch him. Reid sighed angrily and finally decided to just wing it and hope some guardian angel was looking out for him.

Reid walked slowly, careful not to make any noise, down into the dark alley. He stopped walking for a second to let his eyes adjust to the lack of light before squinting into the darkness. He could barely make out the outline of a figure kneeling over a large object wrapped in some type of blanket, his back to Reid.

Reid looked around and saw a thin, metal pipe leaning against the trash can next to Reid. He cautiously knelt down to pick up, only to knock it over and make a loud _clang _sound when it hit the trash can on its way down. Reid froze and watched in horror as the man quickly stood up and whipped around to face Reid.

"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded. Reid could see the outline of a gun in his hands and his mouth went completely dry.

"I, um… I…" Reid stuttered.

"Get up!" the man shouted and shook the gun in his hand.

Reid nodded in reply and slowly stood up, hands raised. Reid swallowed hard and his eyes drifted to the object wrapped in the blanket. _The child-sized object…_

"Who are you?" the UNSUB repeated.

"I'm a… I'm an FBI agent working for the Behavioral Analysis Unit," Reid said. Why not start with the truth?

"So you're here to… profile me?" the UNSUB asked in an amused tone.

Reid shifted uncomfortably, "Yes."

Reid heard the faint sound of sirens from somewhere far away and he realized he needed to get the UNSUB talking if he wanted to live to see another day.

"You've been a very… slippery man to find Mr.…?" Reid trailed off and waited for an answer.

"Stanley." The UNSUB said, "And I must ask, if I've been so hard to track, how did you find me here?"

Reid shrugged casually and he could hear the sirens steadily get louder, "Actually, it was an accident. I was going for a walk, you see, and just so happen to stumble upon you."

The UNSUB shook his head and smirked, "Seems like fate has it cut out for you, agent."

Fate. Yeah, his damn fate was going to get him killed.

The sirens were now in full hearing distance and the UNSUB cocked his head to the side to listen. Reid saw him stiffen and then glance around, as if looking for an escape route.

"You should just give yourself up now," Reid said, "You're not going to get away."

The UNSUB looked over at Reid and glared. Reid watched as he raised the gun, aimed, and fired.

And then everything went black.

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><p><strong>*Wipes forehead* Whoo! That was a monster! I originally planned for this to be a little thing with only a couple hundred of words, but it's pretty obivious this thing wanted to be bigger. Follow up to be posted later today! Also, quick question: Have you ever seen the movie Stay Alive? It's about the group of friends who play a video game and if they died in the game, they died in real life. Anyone seen that movie? I've not totally lost it, there's a reason for the question lol. But have you seen it?<strong>

**Please review!**


	2. The Good and The Bad

**A/N**

**Thanks for the reviews! This addition isn't as long as the first but I think it does its justice. Yeah, Morgan was a little more angry than needed, but I wanted the drama so I kind of made his reaction a little more dramatic. Okay, a lot more dramatic but hey? It's fiction and I can do whatever the hell I want ;) Hope you enjoy! Also, I'm not a doctor so all medical stuff is from google. **

**I own nothing. All mistakes are my own. Warning for language and spoilers for previous seasons.**

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><p>Morgan watched helplessly as Reid practically ran from the hotel room. Damn it! How could he have been so heartless? Morgan just <em>punched him in the face <em>for Pete's sake! Reid was definitely going to hate him now. He knew no matter how many times he was going to apologize to Reid, he could never take away that betrayed feeling Reid had on his face when Morgan hit him.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid…._

Morgan sighed and ran a hand over his face, tiredly. The sound of a door opening caused Morgan to turn around to see Hotch coming out of his room. Hotch's eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw Morgan standing there.

"What are you doing?" Morgan asked Hotch when he saw that Hotch was wearing his work clothes.

"I just got a call from the station, the UNSUB's brother just came in and said he knows where the UNSUB is dumping the next body. I was going to wake up the rest of the team and go check it out, see if we can catch him in the act." Hotch said.

Morgan nodded, "I'll get JJ and Prentiss. You get Rossi."

"Where's Reid?" Hotch asked in confusion when Morgan didn't mention him.

"Reid went for a walk and I don't think he took his phone with him. We should just go without him, we don't have time to wait up on him," Morgan lied smoothly.

Hotch nodded in agreement and started walking down the hall towards Rossi's room. Morgan turned and started walking the other way to the room he knew JJ and Prentiss were sharing. He stopped at the door and gave it three, hard raps.

He waited a few seconds and then the door swung open to reveal a very tired, and somewhat annoyed Prentiss.

"What is it Morgan?" she asked. She was wearing a pain of forest green sweat pants and a black tank top.

"Hotch just got a lead on where the UNSUB is dumping the next body. We're gonna go check it out. Hurry up, we wanna catch him in the act," Morgan explained quickly.

Prentiss' tired eyes immediately snapped into attention, "Give us two minutes."

Fifteen minutes later, the BAU team (minus Reid) were sitting inside a black SUV, heading towards the location the UNSUB's brother had given them.

"Do you think it could be a trap?" Rossi asked.

Hotch shrugged, "I don't know, but be careful."

Morgan opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the distant sound of a gunshot.

"That came from the location…" JJ said uneasily.

"Morgan…." Hotch said, "Did Reid say where he went on a walk to?"

Morgan felt his blood run cold. Reid had a knack for getting into situations and with his luck, that bullet would have something to do with him.

"No, he didn't say," Morgan said.

"We're here," Hotch said quickly and jumped out of the SUV, his gun drawn. The rest of the team piled out of the SUV; Kevlar vest on and guns at the ready. Morgan held his small flashlight over his gun; his wrists were crossed over each other. The five of them approached the alley slowly, cautiously since they knew he had a gun.

"Markus Stanley, FBI!" Hotch called out into the alley.

The sound of someone running away echoed through the alley and Hotch nodded towards the rest of the team. They quickly went into the alley and waved their flashlights around, trying to get a good look at what was going on. The sound of JJ's scream echoed through the air and everyone turned to her in shock.

Morgan flashed his light on JJ, who was kneeling over something, or someone, her back to them.

"Hotch, call an ambulance!" she shouted over her shoulder.

JJ moved her body to the side and Morgan got a good look at what she was leaning over. Spencer Reid, their friend, their colleague, their genius, was lying on his back. His chest was completely covered in blood and JJ had her hands firmly pressed down to a spot in the center of his chest. That did it.

Morgan took off running in the direction the shooter had run. He ran through the darkness and followed the sound of heavy footfalls in front of him.

"STOP!" Morgan shouted in front of him.

As he ran faster, he could see the outline of a man running about ten feet in front of him. Morgan poured on the speed and the distance between them was slowly closing. In a matter of milliseconds, Morgan was right behind him. Morgan launched himself into the air and tackled the UNSUB to the ground.

The UNSUB grunted when he hit the concrete and Morgan pulled the handcuffs out of his back pocket and cuffed the man's hands behind his back. Morgan roughly pulled the man up to his feet and shoved him back towards the direction of the alley.

"He's going to die, you know," the UNSUB taunted and Morgan had to restrain himself from punching him.

A couple of minutes later, Morgan was back up with his team, watching Reid be lifted up into the ambulance.

"I'm riding," JJ told them quickly before climbing into the back of the ambulance with Reid.

Morgan still had his grip around the UNSUB's wrists as he watched the ambulance speed away. Hotch sighed and turned back to the team, his eyes grave. His white dress shirt was stained red with blood. Reid's blood. Morgan shuddered, as his words he said to his best friend echoed through his mind.

"_You are __useless __to me. You're only some stupid kid whose dreams are too big for your own good. You were a loser in school who deserved to get beat up because of it, a failure of a man in every way except books, a drug addict and a social outcast who will forever be alone. "_

"Morgan," Hotch's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Morgan looked over at the team. Prentiss had her arms wrapped protectively around her with tears in her eyes. Rossi was still staring at the spot they had found Reid's bloodied body; his eyes had a faraway look to them. Hotch had his signature steely look on but Morgan could see the panic underneath.

"Let's get to the hospital," Hotch told them and the team nodded.

Two hours later, the team was still waiting for news on their youngest member. JJ and Hotch had changed out of their bloody clothes and they were both sitting in the white, uncomfortable plastic chairs of the hospital. Morgan was pacing the waiting room restlessly while Rossi leaned up against the wall, frowning.

JJ had said that Reid flat lined once in the ambulance just as they were pulling into the hospital. She did not see them revive him but they assumed they did since Reid was in surgery now. They had called Garcia about an hour ago and managed to convince her to stay back in Quantico and look up information on their UNSUB.

Morgan's words kept replaying over and over in his head as he paced along the wall. _Useless… addict... failure…. _Morgan suddenly lashed out and punched the wall next to him, causing everyone to jump. He closed his eyes tightly and fought the urge to cry.

If Reid died, it would be his entire fault. He was the one who made Reid leave the hotel and run into the UNSUB. Reid was right; he overreacted and now Reid was going to pay for it. Why couldn't he have just accepted Reid's apology and move on? Why did he have to be so hardheaded and hold the grudge? If he had just been a better friend, Reid wouldn't be in this situation right now. Oh, god, how could he have been so stupid?

Morgan sighed and opened his eyes. Everyone was staring at him with concerned eyes but didn't say anything. Morgan ignored them and sat down in one of the vacant chairs. He clasped his hands together and bowed his head. For the first time in years, Derek Morgan prayed.

He prayed that Reid lived to see another day. He prayed that he could hear the kid laugh one more time, see that face light up with that awkward smile, hear him ramble about useless facts nobody really cares about but deep down they all secretly loved it when he did that. He prayed that he could tease him one more time see that face blush deep red. He prayed he could apologize for everything and make it all better. He prayed he could have his friend back.

"Spencer Reid?" a voice called out.

Morgan's head shot up and saw the doctor standing there with a clip board in his hand. The doctor's expression wasn't sad but it wasn't happy, either. Morgan took that for a good sign and rushed up towards the doctor with the rest of the team.

"That's us," Hotch said.

The doctor eyed them all. It was obvious they weren't all blood related but the doctor decided not the question it.

"Mr. Reid-" the doctor began.

"Dr. Reid," everyone corrected at the same time.

The doctor smirked slightly before continuing, "_Dr. _Reid is a very lucky man. The bullet went straight through his stomach and the bleeding was excessive. We lost him twice on the operating table but we were able to bring him back without a problem. We were able to patch him up nicely and I believe he will make a full recovery. But I must say, this is the closest thing to a miracle I've ever seen. Usually, when a person has this kind of injury, they only have fifteen minute until they bleed to death. It's a very painful way to die. Our stomachs are filled with hydrochloric acid. As the blood begins to intermix with the stomach acid, this causes fatal toxemia and extreme blood loss in the individual. It's actually… quiet amazing he survived. Looks like someone out there is really praying hard for this kid"

Everyone was stunned into silence. Reid had seriously cut it way too close this time. Morgan ran his hand over his face again and felt himself give a breathless laugh. He was going to be okay. Reid was going to be okay.

"Can we see him?" JJ asked, hopefully.

The doctor nodded, "He's asleep now but you can wait with him until he wakes up."

Everyone nodded their thanks and started walking down the hall towards Reid's room. Morgan hesitated mid-step. Did he really want to see Reid? Hell yes. But did Reid want to see him? Reid would probably hate him for what he did. Hotch saw Morgan's hesitation and came over to him.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked him.

Morgan gave an unconvincing nod, "Yeah, yeah. I think I'm gonna go back to the station and see how the officers and coming with the UNSUB."

Hotch's eyes narrowed suspiciously but he just said, "Alright, I'll call you with any updates."

Morgan nodded, "Thanks."

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><p>Gradually emerging as from a deep sleep, Reid's confused brain frantically tried to explain not only where he was, but what had actually happened. Slowly the dimness and silence which surrounded him began to clear, like drifting smoke picked up by the breeze, and realization dawned as to his present predicament. All he could see was a white ceiling and the sound of countless beeping machines.<p>

"He's waking up," a familiar voice said. JJ.

"Reid? Can you hear us?" another asked. It was a male voice; deep, stony, and hard. Hotch.

Reid forced his eyes opened and groaned in a pain when a dull ache erupted from his chest. He blinked his eyes in focus and saw the members of his team crowed around the white hospital bed he was lying in. He glanced down and saw his right hand being clutched tightly by JJ and the other by Prentiss. Hotch was standing at his left and Rossi stood back in the corner, like a father watching over his children. Reid looked around the room again to find the one missing person and saw that Morgan was nowhere to be found.

Reid clenched his teeth and tried to remember what had put him in the hospital. The last thing he remembered was that he walked in on the UNSUB dumping another body and then everything goes black.

"What's wrong?" Hotch asked when he saw Reid's distress.

"What happened?" Reid asked suppressed a sound of pain when the spot on his chest fired up again.

"You found the UNSUB. You probably tried to talk him down, knowing you, and apparently things went wrong and he shot you. Panic immediately shot through Reid.

"They didn't give me any narcotics, right?" Reid asked in a rush.

A ghost smile flittered across Hotch's face, "They're giving you minor pain medication but they're non-narcotic."

Reid's body visibly relaxed when he heard that news, "How bad was the shot?"

This time Prentiss spoke up, "It was pretty bad. The doctors said it hit several major organs and it was a miracle you survived. They were able to patch you up okay but they lost you twice on the table. You're a fighter, Reid"

The sadness was evident in her voice and the rest of the team members continued to stare at Reid, as if he would burst into flames at any minute.

"Looks like fate had other plans for you," Rossi said from his observing spot in the corner.

Reid gave a dry laugh and settled down into the pillows, "Yeah, fate."

"We thought we lost you…." JJ said quietly and stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

Reid reached out and cupped JJ's chin and brought her eyes to meet his.

"I'm not going anywhere," Reid told her seriously.

The rest of the team nodded in agreement with that statement. Reid's throat tightened and he felt tears brim in his eyes. They loved him. They really loved him. Even with all of his awkwardness and quirks, they still loved him. He felt a single tear fall from his eye and roll down his cheek.

JJ reached out and wiped it away with her thumb, "What's wrong? Are you in any pain? We can leave if you want us to."

"No!" Reid said a little too quickly and his team smiled slightly, "I mean…. I want you to stay."

JJ smiled and nodded as she leaned back into her plastic chair, "Okay, we'll stay as long as you want us to."

Reid smiled and wiped the wetness from his eyes with the back of his palm, "How'd you find me anyways?"

"The UNSUB's brother came to the station and told us where he was dumping he latest body," Hotch said, "We happen to come just as he shot you."

"What were you doing there, anyway?" Prentiss asked, "You didn't have your gun, you didn't have you phone, you didn't even have shoes on! What the _hell_ were you thinking?"

Reid at her, confused, and then asked, "Morgan didn't tell you?"

Prentiss' eyebrow's furrowed, "Tell us what?"

Reid looked around at all of his team members confused faces and frowned. Why didn't Morgan tell them about their fight?

"Morgan and I had an argument and I kind of… stormed off," Reid said sheepishly.

"So you walk into an alley? For a genius, that was a pretty stupid move," Prentiss said with bitter sarcasm.

Reid felt a blush creep up his features, "I was actually walking down the side-walk when a heard noise coming from the alley. I know it was a stupid move, but I had a feeling it could be our UNSUB so I… decided to investigate. I was trying to sneak up on him but, ah, my clumsiness got the best of me and he heard me. I tried to talk to him but…"

"Reid, I talked to you about doing things like this…" Hotch said, disapprovingly and Reid tensed. Reid through back to the Owen Savage case where Reid intentionally put his own life on the line to prevent the kid from committing suicide by cop. Later that day on the plane, Hotch told Reid that if he did a stunt like that again, he would be fired.

Hotch eyed Reid for a moment and then said, "I'm not going to fire you."

Reid sighed in relief as did everyone else.

"_This _time," Hotch said in a serious tone, "But pull a stunt like that again, and I won't hesitate to."

Reid smiled at Hotch, "Yes, sir."

Hotch stared at him for a few seconds before his lips slowly curved up into a smile matching Reid's, "I'm really glad you're okay."

Reid had to admit, he was a little taken aback at that statement, "Thank you, Hotch. Really, it… it means a lot to me."

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments. It wasn't uncomfortable silence, more like a bunch of people who had spent enough time together to not have to fill every moment with talking.

"Where's Morgan?" Reid eventually asked.

"He's back at the station interrogating the man who shot you," Rossi spoke up.

Reid nodded slowly, it made sense. Morgan probably feels guilty about making Reid storm off and, ultimately, getting shot. Reid sighed and felt a wave of tiredness wash over his body. His eyes drooped half-way closed and he fought to stay awake.

"Sleep," JJ ordered, "You need the rest."

And so he let his body drift into the awaiting darkness.

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><p><strong>I'll post the last chapter tomorrow! Hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**please review**


	3. That's What Friends Are For

**A/N**

**Wow! I had been shooting for about 5 or 6 reviews but this? You guys are awesome! Anyways, sorry about not posting yesterday. Out of the blue, my dad decided to repaint the compute room so I didn't have internet. So here you go! Enjoy!**

**I own nothing! All mistakes are my own. Slight language and sloilers.**

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><p>Morgan grabbed the files on Markus Stanley and opened the door to the interrogation room. Morgan's guilty thoughts still danced around in the back of his head but he pushed them down and buried himself into the life of their UNSUB, Markus Stanley.<p>

Morgan had Garcia look him up and there had been suspicions of Stanley raping his own son, Caleb, but charges were never pressed. Caleb looked just like the victims; dirty blonde hair with pale blue eyes. Unfortunately, Caleb was killed by a drunk driver four months before, just when the killings started.

Morgan walked inside the small room and eyed the man sitting before him. Stanley was of average built, around thirty years of age, with brown hair and pale blue eyes much like his son, Caleb. Stanley was leaning back in the metal chair he was handcuffed to with a cocky side smirk on his face that made Morgan want to punch him. Stanley's face lit up when Morgan walked into the room.

"Is your friend still alive? Or did I manage to kill him?" Stanley asked with a sick gleam in his eyes.

Morgan forced himself to ignore the question and jumped right into the interrogation, "Why'd you kill those kids, Mr. Stanley?"

Stanley's smiled slipped for a moment but it was so quick someone who wasn't a profiler would have missed it, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Morgan grit his teeth in annoyance, "Did you do it because of Caleb?"

Stanley's whole composure went from cocky to angry within a matter of seconds.

"Don't you _dare _mention his name," Stanley hissed and leaned forward.

"Were you sad you killed him before you got the chance to fully 'enjoy' him?" Morgan pressed on, "You had to kill all of those other kids because you couldn't handle not being able to rape you own son. Isn't that what happened? Your sick mind wouldn't let you not rape little boys. Oh, you like little boys, don't you? Is that why you killed your son? To try to escape your mind? I think-"

Stanley cut him off, "I did not kill my son!"

While Morgan had been talking, Stanley had begun to tremble in his seat, eyes brimming with tears. Morgan knew Stanley didn't kill his son, his son was killed in a car accident, but he needed a way in.

"Okay, I killed those other boys. But I would _never _hurt Caleb!" Stanley insisted, "Caleb… _my_ Caleb…"

Morgan sighed and gathered up the files sitting on the table in front of him and looked Stanley in the eye, "I know."

Stanley's anger immediately went to confusion to understanding to panic. Morgan bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling as he walked briskly out of the door. He could hear Stanley shout a line of curse words in Morgan's direction but they were cut off when the door closed.

Morgan walked out into the main room of the station just in time to see Hotch and the rest of the BAU team walk in. They saw Morgan and made their way to him.

"How's Reid?" Morgan asked as soon as they were in hearing distance.

Hotch shrugged, "He's fine. He fell asleep while we were there and decided we should work on the case."

Morgan smiled slightly, "No need, I already got a confession out of him."

Hotch raised his eyebrows in surprise, "How did you do it?"

Morgan shrugged, "He wasn't that hard to crack."

From behind Hotch, Prentiss smiled, "Derek Morgan: Super Interrogator." She made a _whooshing _sound with her mouth wiggled her fingers at Morgan. JJ and Prentiss laughed while the men smiled at her silliness.

"We were thinking about getting something to eat, you going to join us?" Rossi asked.

Morgan hesitated; did he want to join them? He was actually thinking about going to see Reid but he wasn't really too fond of that idea. What if Reid hated him? Morgan couldn't lose Reid, Reid was like the little brother he never had. But he couldn't put off visiting Reid forever, could he? They would eventually see each other back at work, but then what? Would they just live their lives as if nothing had happened? Morgan really doubted it.

"Morgan?" Hotch asked, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah" Morgan nodded. Hotch turned and started walking towards the conference room of the police station and Morgan could feel the eyes of his team members staring at the back of his head as he followed Hotch. Hotch held the door open for Morgan and then shut it firmly behind them once Morgan was inside.

"Yes?" Morgan asked.

"What happened with you and Reid back at the hotel?" Hotch asked and Morgan felt his blood run cold.

"What do you mean?" Morgan forced his voice to sound confused.

Hotch sighed, "Reid said you guys had a fight and he stormed off, that was why he was in that alley. And while I was at the hospital, I saw a bruise on his cheek and I'm sure as hell that the UNSUB didn't give it to him."

Morgan's mouth dropped open, "I-I-I… um, I don't kno-"

"Cut the crap, Morgan!" Hotch hissed and Morgan's eyes widened at Hotch's threatening tone.

"I know you hit him and as your supervisor, I want to know why," Hotch said.

Morgan sighed sadly, it was no use hiding it from a profiler, let alone Hotch, "I know he was just trying to help but… I just got so angry, you know? And then he just kept talking after I told him to stop and then I-I just lost it. Oh, god, Hotch, what kind of person does that make me?"

Morgan felt his eyes burn with unshed tears and Hotch's expression softened.

"When we were at the hospital," Hotch began, "Reid asked us where you were and I told him that you came here to interview the UNSUB. Do you know how he reacted?"

Morgan thought for a moment and then shrugged, "How?"

"He was disappointed you weren't there," Hotch said and Morgan's eyebrows went up I surprise, "He doesn't hate you, Morgan, no one does. This isn't your fault and Reid knows that. You just need to know that too."

Morgan stared at Hotch, dumbstruck. Was that true? Hotch could be lying… but why would he do that? Maybe Hotch was just trying to make him feel better…

"I can see you doubt me," Hotch said with a small smirk, "Why don't you go to the hospital? I think Reid'll appreciate it."

_No_, was Morgan's immediate reaction but then he thought about it. Should he go see Reid? He might as well get it over with and Hotch did _say_ Reid wasn't mad at him…

Morgan nodded slowly, "Okay…"

Hotch's face broke out into one of his rare smiles and nodded, "Great."

They walked out together back to the team.

"So, Super Interrogator, you coming or not?" Rossi asked again.

"Actually... I'm gonna go see Reid. You guys have a good night," Morgan said and the rest of the team smiled at him.

Thirty minutes later, Morgan was standing outside of Reid's hospital room, hand resting on the doorknob. He hesitated to open it. _Stop being a wimp, _he scolded himself, _this is Reid we're talking about! When have you ever been so nervous to see Reid?_

Morgan sighed and pushed the door open. Reid was sleeping on the white hospital bed, his arms wrapped around himself in a protective gesture. His skin was deathly pale only making the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced. His short hair, which was now getting somewhat shaggy, hung down in his face in strands and his mouth was hanging slightly open and Morgan half expected to see drool coming out of his mouth. Morgan felt sick to his stomach when his eyes landed on the pronounced purple bruise on Reid's cheek. The hospital gown he had on was obviously too large for him and was basically swallowing up his small figure. Around him were several beeping machines along with a white, plastic chair at his right.

He just looked so… peaceful. Morgan hasn't seen the kid look this relaxed in weeks! Morgan walked over to the plastic chair, careful not to wake him. He sat down in the uncomfortable chair and sighed as he looked over his friend.

"I know you can't hear me," Morgan began and winced at how dumb he sounded, "and I know I'll probably have to repeat all of this once you wake up but… I just want you to know I'm sorry, for everything. I mean _everything. _For all of the teasing, for all the times I made fun of you or your statistics or how you don't have a girlfriend or how skinny you are… for everything. Especially how I've acted over the past few days.

Morgan sighed and ran a hand over his bald head, "I was being completely unfair to you and I know you were only trying to help but I snapped at you. I should have just given you a ride and not make you walk all the way to the hotel. I'm so sorry I said those things about you and how I… I hit you. It was totally wrong and I shouldn't have done it. And I know that no matter how much I apologize, it will never be okay. I-"

Morgan stopped talking when Reid shifted in his sleep.

"A simple 'I'm sorry' would have cut it," Reid mumbled tiredly and blinked open his eyes.

Morgan felt his cheeks heat up, "How long have you been listening?"

Reid smirked, "Long enough. Morgan-"

Morgan held up his hand, "I wasn't finished with my apology."

Now it was Reid's turn to blush, "Morgan-"

"Nope, hear me out, Pretty Boy," Morgan interrupted, "I know I overreacted when you said… what you said and I should have handled it like and adult and not a child. But this case has been bringing up a lot of… uncomfortable memories for me and I guess I wanted someone to blame for how I was feeling. And then you come along and make your slip up and I just lost it. There are no words to express how sorry I am but just… could you please forgive me?"

Morgan put his head into his hands and waited for Reid to say something. Seconds ticked by and Reid was still silent. Panic filled Morgan, what if Reid didn't forgive him? What if he hated him forever? What if-

"I forgive you," Reid said softly.

Morgan lifted his head out of his hands in surprise, "Really?"

Reid's lips twitched upwards, "Well, yes. I'm not exactly one to hold a grudge and I think your apology was too good to not be forgiven."

Morgan's shoulder sagged in relief, "Thanks. I thought you would hate me or something."

Reid frowned, "Hate you? Morgan, I could never hate you. Yes, I was annoyed and a little angry with you but hate you? No. Never. You're my best friend."

Morgan heart swelled with happiness at his friend's words, "Really?"

Reid rolled his eyes, "For a profiler, you can be pretty dumb sometimes."

Morgan gave a dry laugh, "We can't all be geniuses."

"But if you ever need a genius," Reid pointed his thumbs at himself, "I'm your guy."

Morgan gave a small laugh, "Yeah, kid, I'll remember that. So… are we cool?"

Reid had a thoughtful expression on his face when he said, "Of course we're 'cool'. Although, I'm not too sure I like that expression. I mean, if two people are 'cool', then-"

"Kid, kid, kid," Morgan said and held up his hands, "I love you and all but, seriously, not now."

Reid's expression totally changed from thoughtful to something unreadable.

"Reid?" Morgan asked in alarm, "What's wrong?"

"You love me?" Reid asked in a small voice.

Morgan stared at him in disbelief, "Of course I do. You're like my brother, man, why? You don't think I care about you?"

Reid bit his lip and looked down nervously, "You'll laugh at me."

"Just tell me, kid. What's up?" Morgan asked, seriously concerned now.

Reid bit his lip and looked everywhere in the room but Morgan. Should he tell Morgan? Reid eyed Morgan, hesitantly. Reid shook his head and took a deep breath.

"I-I know you care for me and everything but the only people who ever actually said the words 'I love you' to me were my parents and, well, that was about it. My mom stills tells me that all the time but she's my mom and she's kind of suppose to say that and my dad… well my dad hasn't told me he loved me since I was eight. I don't know, but I never really felt loved until you said those words just now," Reid said in a rush and gave a sheepish smile.

Morgan smiled and shook his head, "Damn, kid, for a profiler you can be pretty dumb sometimes."

Reid's face broke out into a bright child-like grin at the repeat of the words he said earlier, "Well, there's a first."

Morgan laughed, "That's what friends are for: bringing out the stupid each other."

Reid's smile faded and he gave Morgan a confused look, "What?"

That made Morgan laughed even harder and he shook his head, "Pretty Boy… what am I going to do with you?"

_The End_

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><p><strong>Welp, looks like it was a happy ending! Hope you enjoyed and please read my other work! Thank you for reading and please review.<strong>

**XxxLEVITYxxX**


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